If you were recently injured in a car accident, you may want to return to your everyday life as soon as possible. However, you should consider filing a case against the negligent driver who caused your injuries. You may deserve compensation for the losses you have suffered.
The experienced attorneys at The Warren Firm could guide you through court proceedings and improve your chances of succeeding in a car accident trial. Call today and speak with a lawyer about the length of a Charlottesville car accident trial.
There are many factors that can contribute to the length of a car crash trial. The amount of time it takes for a case to be resolved could be more than a year from the day an injured party first walks into an attorney’s office. However, this does not mean that the trial itself lasts that long.
Often, attorneys wait until the injured party has recovered or reached maximum medical improvement to file the case. Once a lawsuit is filed, it has to be served on the negligent driver by the sheriff’s department or a private process server. The defendant then has 30 days to file an answer.
A lawyer in the area could help you determine whether you should delay filing your claim due to the severity of your injuries.
After the answer is filed, both attorneys can ask the court to set a trial date. In the Charlottesville and Albemarle courts, dates for one-day trials are typically set for 6 to 12 months in the future. For two or three-day trials, that date may be later.
If the court has an overwhelming number of pending cases, it is often difficult to get a trial date. Issues like the coronavirus pandemic could cause the courts to experience extreme delays, and the trial date may be pushed back even further. A local attorney could identify the potential obstacles to setting a date for your trial.
The majority of car accident cases that are filed are settled outside of court. If a case is not filed, insurance companies are less likely to make a fair offer.
Since many cases have to go into litigation before they can be settled, it may be a long time until a resolution is reached. These cases may not settle until 90 or 60 days before the planned trial date. A nearby car accident attorney could help you understand how negotiating with insurance companies could impact the length of your case.
Once the trial actually begins, there are a number of factors that could affect the length of the court proceedings. One important factor is the number of defendants in the case. In a car accident case, the negligent driver may not be the only responsible party.
A lawyer may be able to prove the driver’s employer or the car manufacturer are also liable. Increasing the number of defendants can increase the amount of time need to try the case. A lawyer could inform you of any other potential defendants in your car accident case.
Car accident trials can be lengthy, but a lawyer could help ensure your case is resolved as quickly as possible. The dedicated attorneys at our firm have the resources to support you for the duration of your case. Call The Warren Firm today to talk to a lawyer about the length of a Charlottesville car accident trial.
